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Labour’s reform of the UK will reject ‘the devolution of grievance, or one-upmanship’ Keir Starmer says

05 Mar 2022 2 minute read
Keir Starmer picture by Lbour

Keir Starmer declared in his speech at the Scottish Labour conference today that Labour’s reforms of the UK will reject “the devolution of grievance, or one-upmanship”.

The speech pointed to Labour’s Mayors in England as an example of how devolution can work, but did not mention First Minister Mark Draeford’s Labour government in Wales.

During the speech, he pointed to a commission to which he has appointed former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to “settle the future of the union”.

“That’s why Gordon’s commission is so important because it is examining how to reform the UK,” he said. “Not just to acknowledge or accommodate devolution, but to give it proper respect and unleash the true power of the idea.

“Not the devolution of grievance, or one-upmanship. But the vision of devolution that Anas is talking about and that our Mayors in England are also talking about – pushing power away from parliaments and towards people – and towards great cities like Glasgow, which is being let down so badly by the SNP.

“That’s why the next Labour government will govern for all of Britain. We will change Westminster, and Whitehall and we’ll clean it up at the same time. Under the Tories, our country has become increasingly more unequal. The Tories talk of levelling up is not serious.”

‘Duty to win’

The UK Labour leader also said that to win Labour could not “pursue apparent political purity inside this party” adding that “our greatest hurdle might not be the Tories, but ourselves”.

“We are the party of working people; our founding and defining mission,” he said.

“But too many working people came to see us as far removed from their lives. We put our priorities above theirs; our ideas as more important, than their experiences.

“So yes, our duty to win does mean keeping our discipline. Never losing sight of who it is that we need to convince – working people and especially those who voted for electoral opponents.

“We can win and we can make change or we can pursue apparent political purity inside this party. But please make no mistake, we cannot do both. Running away from the mainstream is running away from voters.”


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Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

When he says taking power away from parliaments ( note the plural ) and giving it to great cities like Glasgow, he sound like he wants to disolve the devolved parliament’s and replace them with city mayors, as the have in England. A fat lot of good that will be to us, control again returned to Westminster. No thanks Mr Starmer we’ll stick with Independance, thanks.

Last edited 2 years ago by Gareth
Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Gareth

Exactly what the Tories are proposing. Sooner Welsh Labour unhitch themselves from Starmer the better.

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

Am ddyn digalon a siomedig – cyn lleied o syniadau go iawn, dim ond mwy o’r un peth.

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago

Everyone must remember that the Starmer’s Labour Party is a WESTMINSTER party and in order to rule from there they have to have the English vote on their side. Nothing more needs be said.

Llefain
Llefain
2 years ago

“…pushing power away from parliaments and towards people – and towards great cities like Glasgow, which is being let down so badly by the SNP.” Sounds like the Con’s moves to bypass our democratically elected representatives and governments and go directly to councils for their own political gain. And of course English city mayors are the ones doing it “right”. But Wales and Scotland are not cities, we are countries. This view sees us as nothing more than another region of the “UK” (greater England). Labour are not the answer. They will only seek, meaningless small changes,(not necessarily positive ones… Read more »

Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Llefain

Excellent comment. Yn lygaid dy le.

Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago

Why does he insist on upholding British Nationalism? The only reformation of the UK that will work is its dissolution. Labour Unionism enables Tory Nationalism over Wales.

Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Arwyn

Welsh Labour must be pretty p****d off that HQ are ignoring their constitutional commission and are going to tell them what their policy on Wales’ future will be courtesy of Gordon Brown.

I’ve got a solution for them – take your leave of UK Labour. Become Plaid Llafur Cymru and adopt the formation of a Welsh Nation State as your primary constitutional policy. Then we can work to be rid of Johnson and Starmer. Bargen y ganrif bois bach!

Last edited 2 years ago by Arwyn
Mark
Mark
2 years ago

Is he pointing a finger at Wales when he talks of devolution of grievance and one upmanship, that’s basically straight out of the tory anti devo playbook

Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

If I was in Welsh Labour I’d be spitting feathers at this.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago
Reply to  Arwyn

If I was in Welsh Labour he’d get 2 fingers ! Man is a totally blunt Unionist establishment tool.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

KS seems “ never to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”

Malcolm rj
Malcolm rj
2 years ago

No mention of Welsh labour.come on Welsh labour distance yourself from London labour they are not interested in Wales start to back INDEPENDENCE for your COUNTRY

Mr Williams
Mr Williams
2 years ago

I really don’t understand Keir Starmer. He makes no reference to Labour’s greatest ever success i.e their wins over and over again in Wales. He makes no reference to Mark Drakeford who has led his country so well during the pandemic – while also keeping Welsh Labour in power at the last Senedd election, again. What is his problem with praising his own party in Wales? I would like to know what he really thinks of Wales.

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Kick all English party’s out of wales that’s the Tories Labour and all Brexit party’s it’s time for a new wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Carol Loughlin
Carol Loughlin
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

*Wales

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Carol Loughlin

Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 👍🏼

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Brown couldn’t settle which way to sit on the loo.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago

I do not want a UK. I want a sovereign Cymru… Starmer has nothing for me.

Doctor Trousers
2 years ago

No, Keir, it’s not your duty to win. It’s your duty to get the Tories out. These are no longer the same thing. Your party has failed in your duty again and again by pursuing a ‘majority or nothing’ electoral strategy, when a Labour single party majority has been a mathematical impossibility since at least 2015, when the SNP became the third largest party in Westminster, and almost entirely wiped every other party off the map in Scotland. Current polls forecast that they will repeat this feat and then some in the next general election. Labour’s refusal to work with… Read more »

Charles L. Gallagher
2 years ago

The sooner that Labour in Scotland ditch Wastemonster and change from being a ‘Branch Office’ and Register with the Electoral Commission as ‘Scottish Labour’. Until then people will leave them in droves and shift their allegiance to the SNP and if it has not already started in Wales it will soon.

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago

Sounds like both Tories and Labour are planning to screw us over and steal our government then.
Well … we know what to do about that. Expel both parties from our government then off to the UN to appeal for protectorate status. I’d suggest NATO too. But as we all know. They are just cowards that watch.

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